The traditional teat unit has a flexible teat and a stiff ring with an internal thread. The teat extends through the ring and has a flange bearing on the inside of the ring. The ring, with the teat thus fitted, can be screwed onto the neck of a bottle.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,726, a non-return valve is additionally inserted in such a teat in order to avoid drips during pauses when the baby is not sucking U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,503 proposes a teat unit with teat and threaded ring, whereas this teat unit additionally has plates that can be mutually rotated and that have openings. In this way, air can be let into the bottle during the baby's suckling pauses.
Moreover, DE 2 219 909 and WO 86/06273 disclose one-piece teat units, in each of which a soft teat is formed integrally on a rigid threaded ring.
In U.S. Pat. No. 1,605,427, a one-piece teat can be pushed over the neck of a bottle without further securing means.
WO 03/013419 discloses a two-part teat with a non-return valve and a threaded ring for securing the teat on the baby's bottle.
US 2004/0035815 discloses a drinking cup with teat for infants. The teat and a valve element are held in a cover of the cup by means of a threaded ring.
WO 99/22693 discloses a relatively complicated teat unit enabling a natural sucking action. This unit comprises a threaded ring and a two-part teat body. The threaded ring is screwed with its internal thread onto an adapter part having an internal thread and an external thread, which adapter part is secured with its internal thread on a neck of a baby's bottle.
WO 2007/137440 describes a teat unit with a one-part or two-part teat and a dimensionally stable receiving head for receiving the teat. The one-piece receiving head is provided with a threaded ring, such that it can be screwed onto the neck of a baby's bottle or of a drinking cup. The teat is plugged onto the hemi-spherical receiving head but is not secured with the threaded ring.
WO 2009/149576 discloses a teat unit with a flexible teat, a substantially rigid receiving head and a rigid base part. Receiving head and base part are connected to each other via a releasable plug connection. When receiving head and base part are plugged together, the teat, which is pushed over the receiving head, is clamped between the latter and the base part. The unit is secured to a feeding bottle via a thread, which is arranged on the plug elements of the receiving head. The receiving head forms a support body for the main body of the teat and preferably has upwardly extending, soft supporting pads or resilient supporting wings. This teat unit has proven itself particularly effective for use by premature babies and by babies who have sucking problems.
WO 2009/149575 and WO 2011/020203 disclose teat units with a laterally arranged venting valve and with a flow limiting and non-return valve arranged in the milk channel. The venting valve serves to vent the baby's bottle, particularly during the baby's sucking pauses. The non-return valve prevents milk from flowing out of the suction opening during the baby's sucking pauses and also when the bottle is not in use. In addition, it limits the flow through the relatively wide suction channel and the similarly wide suction opening.
EP 1 779 833 describes a teat unit with a threaded ring for fixing the teat unit on a bottle and with a teat having a soft outer layer.
U.S. Pat. No. 686,109 shows a teat which can be pushed over a bottle and a support body arranged on the inner side with grooves or ribs.
Therefore, as has been shown above, a wide variety of teat units for a baby's bottle or feeding bottle are known. However, they are usually designed for repeat use, in which connection it was ensured that the teat can be easily cleaned.
However, particularly in hospitals, on journeys, or when feeding children who are ill, a teat unit is desirable that is suitable for single use, such that the problem of cleaning the teat does not arise. This teat unit should, however, permit a sucking action that is as natural as possible and in particular meet the needs of premature babies and of babies who have difficulties sucking.